Start of the Journey

Time passed even faster than Promise had imagined.

Not long after, Ritsuka and Mash set off on their journey to the first Singularity.

Naturally, before setting off, they had extended an invitation to Promise, hoping he would travel alongside them.

By now, Promise's aura of mystery and reliability had deeply imprinted itself upon their hearts.

Even Roman and Da Vinci agreed, believing it would be beneficial for the still-weak duo Ritsuka and Mash to have Promise accompany them.

Moreover, during the journey, there would be opportunities to catch a glimpse of the side Promise kept hidden.

Roman and Da Vinci were not foolish; having experienced the Singularity of Fuyuki City, how could they fail to notice Promise's peculiarities.

In fact, Roman had always felt a certain fear towards Promise, which made him subconsciously avoid him... No, fear might not be the right word; it was more like unease.

After all, looking into Promise's clear, star-like emerald eyes, he always felt as if all his secrets were being laid bare.

But, it was precisely because of this that he was eager to uncover the true face Promise concealed.

However, Promise simply smiled and declined the invitation.

"Sorry, I can't accompany you at this time. I have some matters to take care of, and besides… this is the journey you were always meant to embark upon.

You will learn and gain so much along the way."

And I too look forward to the day when I can travel with you."

Hearing this, although Ritsuka and Mash felt a bit regretful and slightly disappointed, they also sensed the sincerity in Promise's words and responded earnestly.

"Yes, we will do our best!"

Ritsuka clenched her fist, speaking to Promise with a determined expression.

Seeing this, Romani and Da Vinci looked at each other for a while but ultimately had no choice but to drop the matter.

Of course, Promise wasn't lying when he said he had other matters to attend to.

After all, the goddess of crossroads, Hecate had appeared to seal the soul of Director Olga Marie, who was still sleeping in Promise's room, right now.

To save her, what Promise needed to do was to carve a new body for her.

So, he went ahead and made an "online purchase"—enlisting Merry, who had nothing better to do and spent her days spamming him with messages, to send him a piece of carving stone.

During this period, Promise's surroundings were actually quite lively.

After all, whether it was the Fairy Knight Baobhan Sith or Merry, they were the kind of people who loved excitement and talked a lot.

However, when Promise began his work, the two of them soon found themselves with nothing to do.

At first, watching him carve was quite interesting, but as time went on, these two fun loving guys quickly grew bored.

So, they ended up spending time together during that period.

As for why Baobhan Sith didn't seek out others...well that was because this girl looked down on ordinary people.

The only people she had some interest in were Ritsuka and Mash, but they had gone to the Singularity.

As for Roman, Baobhan Sith disliked him, calling him a weak pessimist with an utterly good-natured aura.

As for Da Vinci, they couldn't quite get along for the time being, not to mention she was annoyed by her constant enquiries about Promise' information.

So, even though she still harbored some disdain for Merry in her heart, she had no choice but to seek her out.

Promise, however, paid no attention to all of this.

Because when he chose a room and devoted himself wholeheartedly to carving, he ignored everything around him.

Promise ate golden apples and focused intently on his carving, which lasted for over half a month.

During this time, Ritsuka and Mash even managed to restore the first Singularity.

And during this time, the sain with golden hair and blue eye, who had once taken the initiative to approach Promise during the Holy Grail War in America—Jeanne d'Arc—also made a special trip to Chaldea with the help of Ritsuka and Mash.

When she came to Promise's room and saw him fully immersed in his carving, she couldn't help but smile warmly and happily, then quietly sat down.

Jeanne d'Arc watched Promise carve for an entire day and night.

During that time, she didn't say a word.

Until the next day, she stood up and quietly left.

Of course, faced with such a golden opportunity, Roman and Da Vinci naturally didn't let it slip, so they questioned Jeanne about how she knew Promise and who he really was.

To this, however, Jeanne provided a partial answer.

"I was his Servant during that Holy Grail War. My class at that time was Ruler, which allowed me to retain memories of our journey together. As for who he is..."

Jeanne smiled beautifully, looking at the curious group in front of her, and said, "He is someone you can always trust.

He is like sunlight illuminating the darkness, and like the night embracing everything."

"And you can hold onto hope, because at the end of your journey, he... will personally paint a picture for you."

With these final words, Jeanne left Chaldea.

As for this statement, Merry actually complained about it, saying that it didn't seem like something Jeanne would say, and she probably saw or heard something somewhere.

Clearly, Jeanne's words only added another layer of mystery to Promise, leaving Roman sleepless for several nights, with dark circles under his eyes from severe insomnia.

Because the more mysterious Promise was, the more dangerous he seemed in a way.

A king who had abandoned everything, yearning only for an ordinary life...

It wasn't until Merry, who finally couldn't stand it anymore, used the Magical Girl Merry website to him some hints to reassure him and told him not to worry about Promise, that Roman finally relaxed a little.

"By the way, what on earth is Promise-senpai carving?"

Having just carefully exited Promise's room, Ritsuka, who had just returned from the first Singularity some time ago, couldn't help but cautiously ask Mash beside her once again.

The latter, however, shook her head in equal confusion.

Well..quite strangely enough, even though the statue had already taken shape and both Mashu and Ritsuka were certain they had seen it, once they left the carving room, their memories of the statue's appearance and Promise's carving techniques would be erased.

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't recall the face of the statue and the technique used when he carved it..

"It seems to be some kind of magecraft, and a very high-level one at that."

Da Vinci suddenly appeared out of nowhere, offering an explanation to their confusion.

After such a long time, she had naturally studied the matter but found that no matter how much she researched, it was was of no use, and remained as elusive as ever, shrouded in mist.

Because, to be precise, this wasn't magecraft—it was a divine skill taught by a god.

"...Promise-senpai is really mysterious."

Thus, Ritsuka couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

Mash nodded in agreement beside her.

After all, even Ritsuka knew by now that Promise was Chaldea's number one "failure," even less suited to being a Master than she was, and equally incapable of using magecraft.

Yet, under such circumstances, during the first Singularity, Jeanne d'Arc had actively sought them out and protected them with utmost care throughout their journey.

And the reason..

As Jeanne had said, was that Promise wanted to paint a picture for them.

In fact, Mash had always harbored a secret in her heart, which she never told anyone: she remembered her "first meeting" with Promise.

It was a night before everything had begun.

Amid the snowstorm outside Chaldea, she had seen a dreamlike figure—a young man, clad in pure white holy garments, riding a flawless Pegasus through the night sky.

By now, Mash naturally understood that the young man that night was Promise, and it was neither an illusion or a dream.

But she chose not to reveal this to anyone after all, she trusted Promise, so she could only silently apologize to Roman and Da Vinci in her heart, over and over again.

"Well he's certainly mysterious, yes, but it's not a big problem. Without a doubt, he's on our side."

Da Vinci replied with a smile.

With the saint's assurance, she had now completely let go of her wariness.

"So don't worry, he'll eventually reveal everything to us one day.. And as time goes on, the more he exposes, the sooner I'll uncover the truth!"

She declared confidently.

After exchanging a few more words, Ritsuka and Mash went to visit the fairy knight Baobhan Sith.

For some reason, Baobhan Sith was surprisingly friendly toward Ritsuka and Mash.

Aside from knowing that Promise would paint a picture for them, she herself didn't dislike them.

And so, Chaldea remained quiet for a while.

Until a few days later,

Ritsuka and Mash embarked on another journey.

This time, they arrived at the City of Seven Hills, where they encountered a deity for the first time.

It was none other than Medusa's elder sister, Stheno.

But this time, they saw another Servant who shouldn't have existed in the original script.

That was Promise's teacher, the mentor of numerous heroes from the Age of Gods in ancient Greece.

The centaur sage—Chiron!

When they saw Chiron appear, both Roman and Da Vinci were shocked, because Chiron's fate had been rewritten by Promise and had even been recorded as true history.

Thus, he had never suffered from the venom of nine-headed hydra, nor had he ever relinquished his divinity and so, the Chiron who appeared now was a complete deity.

Moreover, he was of the same lineage as the god king Zeus, Queen Hera, and the god of the underworld, Hades—his half-siblings!

The reason for Chiron's appearance was simple: he had come for Mash.

In the prologue of the first Singularity, Promise had disrupted the original course of fate of everything, even creating a unique scenario where the First Beast, the King of Gods, the Chief Deity and the ruler of a Lostbelt faced ofc against each other.

Then, during the Singularity of Orleans, they received the full and attentive protection of Jeanne d'Arc.

As a result, Mash, who should have been taught by Odin and unlocked her Noble Phantasm early on, had yet to use it.

Chiron had come to correct and guide Mash and Ritsuka.

And regarding this...

"If that's the case, then I can rest completely at ease."

Promise, who had emerged from the carving room at some point, showed no signs of fatigue despite the long passage of time.

His eyes remained as bright as ever as he gazed at the scene projected on the screen in front him and smiled warmly.

Then, he turned around.

Walking down the quiet corridors of Chaldea, he looked up at the snowstorm outside the window and spoke.

"Let us... meet again on a future journey."

"I will be waiting for you ahead."

We will eventually reunite, and by then, you will be worthy of me taking out the pure white brush to paint the beautiful and tumultuous journey for you.

As he spoke, a Servant Class Card that no one else could see appeared in Promise's hand.

It was a blank Servant Class Card,

the third one.

And the fact that Promise had taken it out now meant...

"Are you setting off on another journey?"